In this Agedashi Tofu recipe, cubes of soft tofu are dusted with potato starch and deep-fried until crispy. The first few times I made this, I made a huge mess in my fryer, but now I realize how to cook them properly. Spoiler alert: they do not need to be cooked that long, only about 30 seconds!
The first time I had agedashi tofu was at a ramen shop in Vancouver. My favorite part was the thin and crispy outer shell on the tofu. The tofu is chopped into cubes, then coated in potato starch and deep-fried until crispy. After that, it's served in a salty and umami dashi broth that is very similar to the one used in zaru soba.
I'll be completely honest, the first time I made this, I frigged them up big time. I fried them for way too long, and the soft tofu ended up leaking out and causing oil to splatter everywhere. After that, I consulted some Japanese cookbooks and learned you only need to cook them for about 30 seconds.
What tofu to use?
In my opinion, the best tofu to use is soft or silken tofu. Some recipes use medium firm tofu, but I do not like how dry the tofu ends up. Agedashi tofu is meant to be very soft on the inside. Just keep in mind that soft tofu is very delicate, so you need to handle them with care, or else pieces of them will chip off.
Drying the soft tofu
Because soft tofu has a lot of moisture, I would highly recommend drying the tofu beforehand. This will ensure the tofu stays crispier for longer. My favorite method is to cut the tofu into cubes, place them on a dish towel, cover them with another dish towel, and let them sit for 30 minutes. Every time I do this, the dish towel ends up almost completely wet so you know it works.
How long to fry the tofu?
As I've stated a few times, you only need to fry the tofu for about 30 seconds. If you fry the tofu for too long, the inside will leak out and cause a lot of oil splatter. I do find that with such a short fry, the tofu does not stay crispy for too long, so I highly recommend doing a double fry. To do so, wait 10 minutes after the first fry, then fry at 400°F for another 30 seconds. They stay crispier for much longer this way 🙂.
Agedashi Tofu
Ingredients
- 1 pound soft or silken tofu
- ½ cup potato starch (or cornstarch)
Sauce
- ¼ cup hot water
- 2 teaspoons dashi powder (or just make your own dashi stock)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Open the box of tofu and invert it onto a cutting board. Remove the box and cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes.
- Place the tofu cubes on a dish towel, cover with another dish towel, and let them rest for 30 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, add the potato starch.
- Heat 2 inches of oil to 350°F. When you're ready to fry, coat about 6-8 pieces of tofu in starch, then gently lower them into the hot oil. Cook for only 30 seconds, then transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Once all the tofu is fried, allow them to rest for at least 10 minutes. In the meantime, combine all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Reheat the oil to 400°F. Deep-fry the tofu cubes for another 30 seconds until super crispy. Transfer to a wire rack to drain.
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